Slidably housed container opener



Sept. 25, 1956 F. J. BRAUN SLIDABLY HOUSED CONTAINER OPENER Filed Feb. 4, 1954 IN ENTOR. Pi ed Jweph Braun ATTORNEYS.

2,763,876 Patented Sept. 25, 1956 United States Patetit'Ofitice YSLIDABLY HOUSED CONTAINER OPENER Fred Joseph Braun, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to Jos.

Schlitz Brewing Company, Milwaukee, Wis., 21 corporation of Wisconsin Application February 4, 1954, Serial No. 408,226

2 Claims. c1. 7-14.25

This invention relates to a container opener and particularly has reference to a tool for punching openings in beer cans and removing caps from bottles.

One object of the invention is to provide a combination cap remover and can hole puncher that is readily manipulable by a common handle and wherein the opener end not being used is concealed and does not interfere with the use of the other end of the opener.

Another object is to provide a common handle for a container opener having an operating tool at each end whereby considerable force can be applied to either tool in service.

In general the opener of the invention is comprised of an elongated piece of generally heavy metal that operates as a tool having at one end means for removing bottle caps and at the other end means for piercing holes in beer cans or the like. The tool is encased in a handle of plastic or wood or the like so that it cannot be removed. An operating means or buttons is secured at its lower end to the center of the metal strip or tool and extends through a slot in the handle at the upper end to be engaged by the operator to shift the strip for use of the tool desired. The means shown for securing the button and handle together extends beneath the metal strip transversely of the handle and rides on a spring confined by abutments inside the bottom portion of the handle. The spring at each end tapers down to the respective abutment. The metal strip or tool is shifted in opposite directions by the button along a predetermined length of the handle to expose for use the tool the operator desires to use. However, the tool cannot be shifted out of the handle due to the abutments and operating button. Upon shifting as described, the button securing means rides down the tapered end of the spring corresponding to the tool end to be used and lodges between the spring and abutment to hold the tool from slipping during use of the tool end.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter in connection with the following description of an embodiment of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the opener of the invention with parts broken away and sectioned;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the invention showing one tool end exposed and illustrating in dotted lines the position of the parts when the other tool end is exposed;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the bottom half of the handle;

Fig. 4 is a front elevational view of the opener looking from the left in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

The opener illustrated in the accompanying drawings in general comprises three parts namely a hollow handle 1 which receives and holds a tool 2 that is shiftable within the handle by a knob or button 3 to place the tool in service.

Tool 2 is formed of an elongated heavy metal strip. In order to provide the tool as a piercing instrument a prong 4 is struck from adjacent one end of the strip to engage the underside of the rim of a can and cooperates with the arched knife edge 5 which engages the top of a can and effects piercing of a hole in the can by pivoting of the opener on the can rim. To facilitate removal of bottle caps a prong 6 is struck from the other end of the tool to engage the underside of the rim of a cap and cooperates with the arched blunt end portion 7 that engages the top of a cap to effect removal of a cap from a bottle by pivoting the opener.

The handle 1 within which tool 2 is received and secured is shown as formed from plastic, although other material like wood or metal may be used, and comprises the upper portion 8 and the lower portion 9. Lower portion 9 has spaced upstanding dowel pins 10 on each side of the edges thereof which are received in matching holes in the edge of upper portion 8. The pins 10 assist in securing the portions 8 and 9 together when they are joined around tool 2 by a suitable bonding cement or the like. When the portions 8 and 9 are secured together they have an "opening at each end that corresponds to the shape of the knife edge 5 and the blunt end portion 7 of the tool so that the ends of the tool can freely be moved in and out of the respective ends of the handle to expose one of the tool ends for use and conceal the other inside the handle.

Both of portions 8 and 9 also carry corresponding ledges 11 slightly below their respective edges which provide a track for smooth sliding of the tool 2 within the handle. Ledge 11 are illustrated in Fig. 3 and 5.

It is necessary to lock the tool 2 in place in the handle when one of the ends is in use and at the same time permit ready shifting of the tool without eifort. To accomplish both of these results a somewhat rectangular shaped upstanding ridge is disposed centrally of the bottom portion 9 of the handle. The ridge receives a leaf spring 12 therein and provides an abutment 13 at each end down to which the respective ends 14 of the spring 12 taper and against which the spring is confined.

The spring 12 is engaged by the head of a screw or other means 15 which extends through the body of tool 2 and secures thereto the button 3 which projects upwardly through a slot 16 in the upper portion 8 of handle 1. Button 3 is generally fiat so that it will move readily in slot 16. Screw 15 may be a projection means separate from the button if other means are used to secure the button and tool together. When the tool 2 is assembled in portions 8 and 9 the head of screw 15 engages the spring 12 and compresses the spring to place the tool under a slight tension within the handle. However, when the button 3 is shifted in slot 16 to expose one of the tool ends, the screw 15 rides down the taper 14 of the corresponding end of the spring into engagement with abutment 13. In this position which is illustrated in Fig. 2, the compression of the spring 12 is released and the head of screw 15 is confined between the spring and abutment to lock the tool in place for use of a respective end thereof. The screw 15 is similarly confined by the opposite abutment and the tapered end 14 of the spring when the other end of the tool is exposed for use.

In order to prevent button 3 from turning a pin 17 may be provided between the button 3 and tool 2. To facilitate manipulation of button 3, ordinarily by the thumb, the top of the button is serrated as shown in Fig. 2.

If it is desired to place a name plate on the handle such a plate may be inserted in the slot 18 provided in the upper part of the handle as can be observed in Figures 1 and 2.

In assembling the opener of the invention the tool 2 with the service ends -desire'dare fashioned from an elongated strip of heai y metal and the operating button is secured centrally thereto by screw 15 and pin 17. The two parts of the handle are then fabricated from plastic or other material with'slot 16 provided in the upper part and corresponding ledges 11 providedin both parts, the latter to provide a track for tool 2, :and the slot 16 to receive button 3 for manipulation of the opener. .The lower half of the handle is provided with abutments 13 and leaf spring. 12 is inserted within the, upstanding ridge that forms the abutments 13. The parts of the handle 1 are then assembled about tool 2 and bonded together as described.

The tool at either end is placed inservi'c'e by merely pushing button 3 inslot 1'6 with the thumb until screw 15 rides down the spring endy14 corresponding to the tool that is to be used'an'd is-docked between the spring and abutment. If the other tool is to be used button 3 is then pushed to the other end of slot 16. The invention provides a container opener which is readily manipulable, which looks the tool in 'place for applying considerable pressure to the tool end that is to be used, and which conceals the tool end no't in use so that it will not interfere with efficient use of the exposed tool end.

Various modes of carrying out the invention are con templatedas within the: scope of the following claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming 'the subject matter which is regarded as the invention.

I claim:

1. A tool of the-character described comprising a hollow handle having guide means on either side of the inside of said handle, a substantially heavy metal tool 'strip disposed inside said handle and guided longitudinally thereof by said guide means, an elongated striplike res ilient means disposed inside said handle on one side of Vthe..st.rip,.abutments,provided inside the handle on each side of the resilient means in engagement with the ends of the resilient means within the handle beneath said strip and with the end portions of the resilient means sloping down to the abutments to provide a space between each end of the resilient means, an abutment, and the metal strip, operating means engaged with the metal strip opposite the resilient means and extending through an elongatedtslot in the handle for moving the strip within said handle, and a projectionrextending'from the metal strip opposite the operating means and'into engagement with the resilient means, the movement of the strip by the operating means :moving the projection into one of the spaces between the resilient means, abutment and metal strip to relieve the metalstrip 'from said resilient means and lock the metal strip in the position selected.

2. The construction of claim 1 in which the operating means is-secured to the metal strip by a threaded-member extending throughthe metal strip and threaded into the operating means,=an'da head on thethreadcd member providings'aid projection adapted to engage the resilient means and to-rid'e oif the resilient member at the 'ends thereof to :lock the strip in selected position.

References Cited in the'file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 138,528 Reed et-al. May 6, 1873 2,548,797 Ingwer Apr. 10, '1951 2,608,890 Andrews Sept. 2, 1952 '2;677;88'2 Scheringer May 11, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 714L533 Australia June 14, 1951 

